Less than 24 hours into his second term, Donald Trump is already trying to settle scores with his perceived enemies, taking multiple petty actions to stroke his giant and fragile ego.
Less than two hours after being sworn in, Trump had a portrait of Gen. Mark Milley—the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who called Trump a “fascist” and a “dangerous” person—removed from the Pentagon, The New York Times reported. The portrait had been unveiled just 10 days ago.
Update: this Milley portrait is no longer up in the Pentagon hallway, just 10 days after it was unveiled… h/t @OrenCNN https://t.co/ji77T3Np6l pic.twitter.com/DdUeEEZ9zR— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 20, 2025
Milley is one of the people Trump put on his enemies list.
Trump’s hatred of Milley runs so deep that former President Joe Biden gave Milley a preemptive pardon to prevent Trump from ordering his administration to prosecute Milley for whatever made-up crimes they could conjure up.
Milley said he was grateful for Biden’s pardon.
 “I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights,” he said in a statement. “I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”
Trump also announced that he removed four people Biden appointed, including Milley.
Trump wrote in a post on X:
Our first day in the White House is not over yet! My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again. Let this serve as Official Notice of Dismissal for these 4 individuals, with many more, coming soon: Jose Andres from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, Brian Hook from the Wilson Center for Scholars, and Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President’s Export Council—YOU’RE FIRED!
Andres is a humanitarian who has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit he founded that feeds people suffering from natural disasters, war, and poverty.
Andres wrote in a post on X that he couldn’t be removed from his position because he already resigned a week ago.
Andres wrote:Â
I submitted my resignation last week…my 2 year term was already up. I was honored to serve as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. My fellow council members – unpaid volunteers like me – were hardworking, talented people who inspired me every day. I’m proud of what we accomplished on behalf of the American people…like a historic partnership between the White House and every major sports league to increase access to sports and health programs for kids. I hope @realdonaldtrump exercises his presidential authority so the Council can continue to advocate for fitness and good health for all Americans. These are bipartisan issues…nonpartisan issues. May God give you the wisdom, Mr. President, to put politics and name calling aside…and instead lift up the everyday people working to bring America together. Let’s build longer tables….
Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta and later worked in the Biden White House as the director of the Office of Public Engagement.
Like Andres, Bottoms said she already left her position so Trump’s “firing” was moot.
“A day late and a dollar short … My resignation from the President’s Export Council was submitted January 4, effective yesterday,” Bottoms said. “You can’t fire someone who has already resigned. Of all the things happening in the world, not sure why I’m on Donald Trump’s mind at 1:30 am following his inauguration, but I count it as a badge of honor.”
And it’s unclear why he targeted Hook, who actually served in Trump’s first administration as an envoy to Iran.
As for other pettiness, following Trump’s dark and low-energy inaugural address, he gave rambling 30-minute remarks in which he complained about his 2024 victory and lied about voter fraud, falsely saying he “would have won the state of California” in 2024 were it not for fraud.
In those remarks, Trump also falsely accused Milley as well as the members of Congress who investigated the Capitol insurrection of being guilty of “very, very guilty of very, very bad crimes”—making Biden’s preemptive pardons look well justified.
Ultimately, Trump’s first day in office was an abject disaster that proved his detractors right when they warned that his second term would be four years of Trump going after anyone who he deems insufficiently subservient.Â
Amid Trump’s pettiness, Jose Andres’ team is on the ground in California providing crucial aid and support. That’s leadership. Donate now to support World Central Kitchen and other organizations’ Southern California relief efforts.
